Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Investigation of Microplastic Accumulation in Horse Mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) Caught in the Black Sea

Horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) caught from Turkish coastal waters were found to contain microplastics in their gastrointestinal tracts, with fibers and fragments the most common types. The study contributes to baseline data on microplastic contamination in commercially important Mediterranean fish species.

2022 Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Health risk assessment of heavy metals in marine fish caught from the northwest Persian Gulf

Not a microplastics paper — this study measures heavy metal concentrations (nickel, zinc, copper, lead, cadmium) in marine fish from the Persian Gulf and assesses the associated human health risk from fish consumption.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic ingestion by Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) from central Mediterranean Sea: A potential cause for endocrine disruption

Researchers examined plastic ingestion by Atlantic horse mackerel caught in the central Mediterranean, finding plastics in a substantial fraction of fish stomachs and identifying chemicals with known endocrine-disrupting properties in the ingested plastic types, raising concerns for both fish health and seafood safety.

2021 Environmental Pollution 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion by Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) in the North and central Moroccan Atlantic coast between Larache (35°30′N) and Boujdour (26°30′N)

Researchers found that Atlantic horse mackerel along the Moroccan Atlantic coast had ingested polyamide, acrylic, and polystyrene microplastics, mapping the spatial distribution of contamination across a 900 km stretch of coastline.

2021 Environmental Pollution 32 citations
Article Tier 2

A Hazard Index of Microplastics Contamination in Commercial Marine Fish Species and Mussels in the Southern Marmara Sea, Turkey

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in five commercially important fish species and Mediterranean mussels from the southern Marmara Sea in Turkey. They found microplastics in all species examined, with varying levels of contamination across different collection sites, and calculated hazard indices to estimate potential risks. The study provides evidence that seafood consumers in the region may face meaningful dietary exposure to microplastics.

2025 Aquaculture Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Residual Levels of Mercury, Cadmium, Lead and Arsenic in Some Commercially Key Species from Italian Coasts (Adriatic Sea): Focus on Human Health

Researchers assessed mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic levels in two commercially important fish species from the Adriatic Sea, finding that while individual metal concentrations were generally below safety thresholds, cumulative exposure from high fish consumption may pose health risks.

2022 Toxics 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination in the Atlantic Horse Mackerel (Trachurus trachurus, Linnaeus 1758) from Selected Markets in Benin City, Nigeria

Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) from fish markets in Benin City, Nigeria were found to contain microplastics at a mean level of approximately 1.4 particles per fish, with fibers being the dominant shape and polyester and nylon as the most common polymer types.

2025 Journal of applied science and environmental management
Article Tier 2

Heavy metals content in fresh tuna and swordfish caught from Hindian and Pacific Oceans: Health risk assessment of dietary exposure

Researchers assessed cadmium, lead, and mercury levels in yellowfin tuna and swordfish from the Pacific and Indian Oceans, finding that heavy metal concentrations were within acceptable safety limits and dietary exposure posed no significant health risk.

2023 Veterinary World 7 citations
Article Tier 2

The accumulation of microplastics and their associated heavy metals on the surfaces of microplastics in various tissues of the pelagic fish Rastrelliger kanagurta, from the northern coast of Central Java, Indonesia

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in the tissues of pelagic mackerel from the northern coast of Central Java, Indonesia. The study found microplastics predominantly in fragment shapes smaller than 500 micrometers across gills, stomach, intestines, and liver, along with seven polymer types, multiple plastic additives, and heavy metals including manganese, chromium, and nickel adsorbed onto microplastic surfaces.

2026 Environmental Advances
Article Tier 2

Bioaccumulation and Bioremediation of Heavy Metals in Fishes—A Review

This review summarizes how heavy metals accumulate in fish tissues through contaminated water and enter the human food chain, posing serious public health concerns. The paper discusses bioremediation techniques using microorganisms and other methods to remove heavy metals from aquatic environments, which is relevant because microplastics can carry and concentrate these same toxic metals.

2023 Toxics 161 citations
Article Tier 2

Heavy Metals Concentration in Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) from the Moroccan Mediterranean Coast and Potential Human Health Risk Assessment

Researchers assessed heavy metal concentrations in sardines from the Moroccan Mediterranean coast and found spatiotemporal variations in toxic metal accumulation, with health risk assessments indicating generally safe levels for human consumption.

2023 Journal of Food Quality 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Suspected microplastics in Atlantic horse mackerel fish (Trachurus trachurus) captured in Portugal

Researchers examined microplastic presence in multiple internal organs of Atlantic horse mackerel caught off the coast of Portugal. The study found suspected microplastics in all organs examined, including gills, gut, kidney, and heart, with the smallest particles found in the heart and blood, highlighting the potential for microplastics to translocate beyond the digestive system.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Heavy metals and microplastics in the stomach contents of two fish species: Trachurus trachurus and Zeus faber along the North and Central Atlantic Coast of Morocco

Scientists examined the stomachs of two popular commercial fish species along the Moroccan Atlantic coast and found microplastics in 46% of the fish, mostly in the form of fibers made from polyamide, polystyrene, and acrylic. Heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, and zinc were also detected in 97% of samples, though levels stayed below regulatory limits. While the contamination risk from microplastics was generally low, the study flagged potential health concerns for children who frequently eat these fish.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological and health risk assessment of heavy metals bioaccumulation in Ganges fish near Varanasi, India

Not relevant to microplastics — this study measured heavy metal (lead, manganese, chromium, cadmium) contamination in the Ganges River at Varanasi and in fish caught there for human consumption, finding metal levels well above safe drinking water standards and significant bioaccumulation in fish tissue.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Histopathological alteration in the liver of Sardinella longiceps as a biomarker of heavy metal pollution in aquatic ecosystem.

This paper is not relevant to microplastics — it examines heavy metal (copper, chromium, manganese) accumulation and liver tissue damage in Indian oil sardines as an indicator of industrial pollution in a coastal ecosystem.

2023 International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Health Risks Attributed to Toxic Trace Elements and Selenium in Farmed Mediterranean Mussels from Türkiye and Bulgaria

Researchers measured levels of selenium and toxic trace metals including cadmium, mercury, and lead in farmed mussels from the coasts of Turkey and Bulgaria. While most metal concentrations were below safety thresholds, some samples showed elevated cadmium levels that could pose health risks with regular consumption. The study emphasizes the importance of monitoring contaminant levels in farmed shellfish to protect consumer health.

2024 Biological Trace Element Research 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors of metals contamination in Mediterranean Sea

Researchers collected zooplankton from Mediterranean Sea sites and measured metal concentrations associated with ingested microplastics, finding elevated cadmium, lead, and nickel on MP surfaces compared to surrounding water, demonstrating that MP-bound metals become available to zooplankton and could biomagnify up the food chain.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Heavy metal accumulation in a bioindicator species, Limpet Patella caerulea, in Yalova (İzmit Bay): Risk assessment for human health

Researchers examined monthly heavy metal concentrations (cadmium, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, and iron) in the whole-body tissue of the limpet Patella caerulea as a bioindicator species in Izmit Bay, Marmara Sea, and conducted a human health risk assessment based on measured metal levels. The study found that cadmium levels exceeded safe limits in all sampled months and lead exceeded limits in autumn, indicating potential health risks for consumers of limpets from this heavily industrialized coastal area.

2022 Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies 2 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Identification, Distribution and Health Risk Assessment of Microplastics in Natural Mussels from the Shoreline of the Sea of Marmara, Türkiye

This comprehensive study sampled mussels along the entire Sea of Marmara coastline in Turkey and found microplastics at all locations, with higher concentrations near river outflows and areas of heavy human activity. The findings raise concerns about seafood safety in this heavily trafficked semi-enclosed sea.

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as a vehicle of heavy metals in aquatic environments: A review of adsorption factors, mechanisms, and biological effects

This review summarizes how microplastics in water can absorb and carry toxic heavy metals like lead and cadmium, making them more dangerous to aquatic life than either pollutant alone. Environmental factors such as water acidity, salinity, and organic matter influence how much metal sticks to microplastic surfaces. Since contaminated seafood is a major source of human exposure, understanding these interactions is important for assessing health risks.

2021 Journal of Environmental Management 385 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in gastrointestinal tracts of Trachurus trachurus and Scomber colias from the Portuguese Coastal waters

This study found microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of two commercially important fish species — Atlantic horse mackerel and Atlantic chub mackerel — caught in Portuguese coastal waters, with higher incidence in one species than the other. The results confirm microplastic ingestion is common in commercially harvested fish, raising questions about human dietary exposure through seafood consumption.

2017 Revista de Estudos Anglo-Portugueses/Journal of Anglo-Portuguese Studies 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Heavy Metal Bioaccumulation and Genotoxicity in Fish (merluccius Merluccius, Linnaeus, 1758) from the Western Algerian Mediterranean Coast

Researchers found seasonal variability in heavy metal (zinc, lead, cadmium) bioaccumulation and genotoxicity in European hake from the Algerian Mediterranean coast, demonstrating that metal contamination from coastal pollution poses measurable biological harm to commercially important fish.

2022 Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Mercury Biogeochemistry and Biomagnification in the Mediterranean Sea: Current Knowledge and Future Prospects in the Context of Climate Change

This review examines mercury contamination in the Mediterranean Sea, where fish contain much higher mercury levels than Atlantic species, mainly due to environmental conditions that promote conversion of mercury into its most toxic form. Climate change is expected to worsen the problem by altering the marine food web in ways that increase mercury accumulation in predatory fish like tuna. While focused on mercury, the findings are relevant to microplastics research because microplastics can absorb and transport mercury and other heavy metals through aquatic food chains.

2024 Coasts 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Total Mercury (THg) Content in Red Mullet (Mullus barbatus) from Adriatic Sea (Central Mediterranean Sea): Relation to Biological Parameters, Sampling Area and Human Health Risk Assessment

Total mercury content was measured in muscle tissue of red mullet from 16 sampling pools across the Adriatic Sea, with an overall mean of 0.20 mg per kilogram wet weight. Mercury levels were significantly related to fish size and reproductive stage, and risk assessment indicated that consumption of larger fish from some areas may approach safe intake limits.

2022 Applied Sciences 9 citations